Gas-holder



(NoModeL) G. T. THOMPSON.

GAS HOLDER.

No. 460,898. Patented Oct. 6, 1891.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE T. THOMPSON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

GAS-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,98, dated October6, 1891.

Application filed February 27, 1891. Serial No. 383,097. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE T. THOMPSON, of the city of St. Louis, in theState of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inGas-Holders, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in thatclass of gasholders or gasometers which consists of an inverted bowl orhell whose lower edges dip into a seal or cistern of water or otherliquid, said holder being adapted to rise within the cistern as the gasenters it and to fall as the gas is released to the main pipes orapparatus which follows.

It has hitherto been customary when fillinga holder to overcome theresistance caused by its weight by propelling the gas into said holderby pressure given to said gas by a blower, exhauster, or similarapparatus, or by the force of the additional gas freshly evolved behindit. Then, when desirable, the gas is expelled from said holder by theweight of the holder itself, regulated by proper means. The gas in theapparatus preceding the holder is thus constantly under a pressure atleast equal to that imparted by the holder, and Where said weight hasbeen excessive, it has been customary to overcome it in part by theapplication of counter-weights attached by chains to the holder, saidchains passing over pulleys or sheave-wheels carried by the framingwhich usually surrounds said holder and maintains it in verticalposition. Moreover, by the system hitherto in use, a greater pressurethan that given by the weight of the iron in the holder could not beimparted to the outgoing gas without considerable difficulty consequentupon the necessity of removing such counter-weights or of placingadditional weight upon the top of the holder, and in holderconstructionsin which the guide-framing is dispensed with it hashitherto been impossible to counterweight the holder, by reason of theabsence of the necessary supports. It is the object of my invention toprovide means whereby the pressure exerted by a holder may be increasedor diminished at will, without loss of time, and in a simple,convenient, and economical manner, whether or not said holder isprovided with guide-framing.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical sectionalView through the center of a holder embodying my invention. Fig. 1represents an enlarged sectional view of the foot-valve G.

A represents the shell or sheeting of the holder as ordinarily built ofiron, rising and falling within the cistern or tank E.

B represents abox or vessel (here shown as rectangular in section, butannular in plan) firmly attached to the holder. A portion of said boxmay be formed from the side of the holder.

O is a pipe or tube supported within the shell or holder A,communicating at bottom with the interior of the box B and having itsupper end open within the holder A, near its top.

D is a valve or-cock connected at one outlet with the interior of thebox B close to its bottom, and at the other outlet communicating withthe liquid in the tank E. An ordinary long'shanked key or other means isprovided for controlling the valve D from the top or side of the holderA at any point in its rise or fall.

F is a pipeor tube communicating with the box B close to its bottom andprovided with a foot-valve G and with two or more outletvalves, such asH and J, secured to the outside of the sheeting. The foot-valve G may beof any desired form which will allow the water to pass up into the pipeF and prevent it from flowing back, its object being to support thecolumn of water in the pipe F and thus materially assist the pump L inremoving the water from the box 13.

K is a pipe or flexible connection extending from the valves H or J tothe pump L, so arranged that attachment between the pump L and the pipeF may be made at any position of the holder A as it rises or falls.

M is the pipe for supplying gas to the holder A or for withdrawing ittherefrom.

N N are landing-stones, upon which the holder A rests when emptied ofgas.

1? is a small tank or cistern into which water may be forced by the pumpL through the connecting-pipe S, the water being discharged from thecistern P into the' cistern E by means of the valve T.

As ordinarily operated the valves H and J would be closed and the valveD opened from above. WVater from the tank E would then enter the box B,filling it and the tube (1 to a height equal to that of the water in thetank E itself. The box B would then exert no infiuence whatever; but ifit were desired to decrease the pressure exerted by the holder Athe'valve D would be closed and attachment would be made by the tube Kto the pump L from any convenient valve H or J, which valve would thenbe opened and the pump L started. The water in the box B would thus begradually withdrawn, gas entering the box B from the holderA by the pipe0 to take its place. The decrease of pressure could thus be obtained bythe increased buoyancy of the box B, (and consequently of the holder Ato which it is attached) by the removal of the requisite quantity ofwater, the capacity of the holder being at the same time increased tothe precise degree determined by the quantity of water removed. If thewater withdrawn from the box B is forced from the pump L through thetube S into the cistern P, its quantity may be readily noted.- WVhen thedesired decrease of pressure is accomplished, the valve H or J is closedand the tube K detached. If the holder A is then to be emptied and forthat purpose the former pressure is required to force the gas to adistance' or against resistance, the valve D is opened and water entersthe box B, expelling the gas therein, which passes up the pipe 0 to theholder A, as before. If the water removed from the box B had beendischarged into the cistern P, it is of course important when openingthe valve D to likewise open the outlet-valve T from the cistern P anddirect the water therefrom into the tank E, whose water-level mightotherwise be too much reduced.

If still greater pressure is desired, it is obtained by means of anotherannular chamber or box B, attached to the holder A at some point abovethe box B. Said box B is fitted with a tube 0, a valve D, a pipe F,(containing a foot-valve, if necessary or desirable,) and outlet-valveH, similarly arranged and for similar purposes with the correspondingparts to the chamber B. hen additional pressure is required to thatgiven by the iron alone of the holder A water may be supplied to thechamber B by any of the valves thereto until the required make-weightingis accomplished, and when desired the water may be discharged throughthe valve D. The chamber B also gives additional buoyancy t0 the holderA when below the level of the water in the tank E, and in no wisediminishes the capacity of the holder A, except when used for makingweight, as described.

The cistern P may be dispensed with and the water drawn from ordischarged into the tank E. I prefer, however, to employ the saidcistern P, as its use prevents the level of water in the tank E frombeing affected by the filling or emptying of the boxes B and B, besidesaifordin g a ready method of ascertaining the additional capacity of theholder A when the chamber B is in use as a buoy, as previouslydescribed.

It will be readily seen that an annulus, such as the one abovedescribed, will greatly strengthen the curb of a holder, and increasethe holder capacity in addition to its'other uses.

I preferto make the vessels-or boxes B and B annular in form andextending around the inner circumference of the holder A; but it isobvious the same principle would be involved if the receptacles were ofother form or placed outside the holder.

The box or vessel B may be dispensed with; but I prefer to use it, as itgives a very ready means of increasing the weight of the holder A.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Thecombination, with a gas-holder A,of a box B and a box B at differentelevations on the holder, both in communication with the interior of theholder, and means for filling the boxes with liquid and removing theliquid from the boxes, substantially as and for the purpose set forthanddescribed.

2. Thecombination of the shell A of agasholder, supported in the tank E,the box B, secured thereto, the pipe 0, forming a communication betweenthe box B and shell A, means for filling the box B with water, and meansfor removing the liquid from said box, said means for removing theliquid from the box consisting of a pipe F, communicating therewith andprovided with a series of valves, such as H J, and a pump L, adapted tobe connected to any one of said valves,whereby the water can be removedfrom the box B irrespective of the height of the shell A in the tank E,substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

GEO. T.

In presence of- SAML. KNIGHT, E. S. KNIGHT.

THOMPSON.

IIO

